Book-holder



(No Model.) 7

W. P. HOLLOWAY.

/ 'BOOK HOLDER.

No. 318,253. Patented-May 19, 1885. r

UNITED STA-Tes PATENT ;;OFFICEQ WILBUR r. HoLLo'wAnon CLEVELAND, OHIO.

BQ O KFHOLDER;

ESPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,253, dated May 19, 1885. g

' Application filed April 5, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILBUR F. HOLLOWAY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bool -Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to thatclass of bookholders wherein an adjustable tilting shelf is supported upon a suitable stand, and is provided with adjustable fingers, which project over and retain the book-leaves.

The object of my invention is to cheapen and simplify the construction of such articles, to facilitate their manipulation, to prevent the shelf from tilting backward, and to provide fingers that may be retained rigidly in position when desired.

It consists of the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved book-holder; Fig. 2, a similar view of a part of the brace and retaining device, showing its construction; and Fig. 3, a view, enlarged, of the leaf-holder.

The stand consists of a single wire or rod, A, the central part of which is the back, at either end of which it is bent at a right angle horizontally for about one-third of the side length; thence downward and horizontally backward to form the retaining-bars a a; thence downward and upward nearly to a, forming the rear feet, a a,- thence horizontally for the sides, and thence downward and back, forming front feet, a a, the ends extending above the sides, and each turned over, form; ing an eye,which constitutes a bearing for the tilting shelf.

The shelf consists of similar wire or rod, the foundation being the wire B, bent into a square and meeting at the front center. Auxiliary wires 1) b b b I) serve to bind together and strengthen the shelf, the wire b passing through the eyes in the ends of the wire A, forming a hinge upon which the shelf swings. The ledge for this shelf is constructed by turning the two ends ofthe wire B from their point of meeting at the front center; thence upward at a right angle to the plane of the shelf a short distance, ordinarily from one-half to one inch; thence outward in either direction parallel with and nearly to the ends of the front; thence toward the back and parallel with the sides; and, finally, inward parallel with the front, meeting, and being joined in the center, although the last two turns may be omitted, the front and the lengths parallel with and immediately above it forming a sufficient ledge, and constituting also guides on which the slides hereinafter named are mounted, as shown. I prefer to connect the lower or front round of the shelf to the round of the ledge immediately over it by the linksf, as shown, and also to connect the ends of wires b to the inwardly-turned round of the ledge, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to thereby brace such parts. This description of the binding of the wire constituting the ledge assumes that the shelf is in its lowered or folded position, and not raised, as illustrated in Fig. 1. In operation the book lies open on the shelf thus formed, resting against the ledge constituted by the upward-turned wire at the lower edge and auxiliary wires. To support this shelf is a brace, C, also of wire, bent to form three sides of a rectangle, the ends being looped over the wire b, the middle portion resting on the sides of the frame under the bars a 1. tion of this brace is controlled by a catch, D, also of wire, hinged to the brace, and with its center so bent as to fall between the cross wires d d d on the stand.

Any tendency of the shelf B to tilt forward from an undue weight on its base is prevented by the retaining-bars a a, which prevent the brace G from rising.

The whole can be compactly folded by raising the catch from the bars d d, tilting the table forward until the brace O escapes from beneath the retaining-bars a a, then swinging the catch outward and upon the brace.

Upon the front parallel wires of the shelf are two slides, E E, each free to move there on, and each provided with two sockets, e e.

The fingers F each consist of a wire returned upon itself for half its length; thence downward at a right angle, passing through the socket e, in which it turns and slides freely; thence is bent upward and again downward in such position as to enter the socket e, if desired. By placing this free end in the socket e the finger is held rigidly in place, and by The posi- IOO vided with a ledge having parallel edges, of Y a slide mounted on said ledge and containing two parallel sockets, and a leaf-holder having two parallel rods projecting therefrom, one of which rests in one of said sockets, and the other registers with the other of said sockets, substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified.

3. A stand for a book-rest, consisting of a wire frame-work, the top of which is in the same plane, and having one or more wires attached thereto and projecting above and par allel with the top, in combination with a shelf hinged to one-side of said stand, and a brace attached to said shelf and having at its other end a transverse bar, which rests on the top of the stand beneath the Wires parallel thereto, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

4. In a book-support, the combination, with a stand, a shelf hinged to one side thereof, and a brace hinged to the shelf and resting on the stand, of a catch attached to the brace near its lower end, and a series of stops in the stand, in one of which the other end of the catch rests, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of March, A. D. 1884.

WILBUR F. HOLLOWAY.

Witnesses:

1*. H. BIERMANN, M. GALLAGHER. 

